HOUSE RESOLUTION NO.2007-4647, by Representatives Schual-Berke, Rolfes, Chase, Moeller, McDermott, Barlow, O'Brien, Darneille, Blake, Morris, Appleton, Cody, Kirby, Springer, McCoy, Wallace, Miloscia, Takko, Hunt, VanDeWege, Eickmeyer, Hudgins, Williams, Lantz, Quall, Hunter, Eddy and Ericks

     WHEREAS, The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to freely practice their beliefs, and the right to be free from the establishment of a state religion; and
     WHEREAS, April 2nd commemorates the Exodus, which has extended beyond the Jewish faith to symbolize the larger principle that people of all faiths, as well as people of no faith, are entitled to freedom from persecution; and
     WHEREAS, The world is aghast at the perverted, dehumanizing logic behind the Holocaust, and any other acts of systematic genocide on the basis of one's choice of doctrine or creed; and
     WHEREAS, The grievous tragedy of September 11th emphasized the need for moderation and tolerance between faiths, be that tolerance used to solve the religious strife between Muslims and Jews in the Middle East, the persecution that some Muslims have endured in the United States, the persecution that Christians have endured in Sudan, the recurring instances of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in Europe, or any other regional or international religious conflict; and
     WHEREAS, People of all nations regret the needless loss of life that resulted from the religious and ethnic conflict of the Indian Partition, and condemn all other actions of the colonialist era that have led to the arbitrary division of one people against another; and
     WHEREAS, Courageous men and women of faith such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Ghandi, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and the Dalai Lama, through their visionary leadership and measureless compassion, nonviolently advocated and struggled for equity and justice, becoming international icons for all those who revere the inherent dignity of humanity, and who strive for peace;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington state House of Representatives pause to honor the sacrifices of those who dedicated or lost their lives in defense of religious liberty for all, and acknowledge the crucial role that this liberty fills in the continuance of any democratic society.

I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of
Resolution 4647 adopted by the House of Representatives
March 22, 2007



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Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk